If you're a Democrat, You Probably Have This Personality Trait

Does your personality influence your political beliefs? The answer is probably! 

Research conducted by Truity shows that left-leaning voters tend to share certain personality traits that shape how they view the world and interact with others. One trait, in particular, is a commonality found in many people who register for and vote under the blue party. 

So, if you’re affiliated with the Democrats, here’s what might be influencing your political stances this election year.

Left-leaning People Share This Personality Trait

Over 25,000 people participated in Truity’s survey about personality type and politics, and one of the main findings may or may not surprise you. According to the research, 65% of Strong Democrats are Feelers, compared to only 50% of Strong Republicans.

The Feeling trait is one of the four personality dichotomies in the 16-type system. If you’re a Feeler, you:

• Make decisions based on your personal values rather than relying on hard facts. 
• Are driven by relationships, a desire to connect with others and the overall good of humanity. 
• Are attuned to the needs and emotions of others and consider those needs as a primary decision-making factor.
• Tend to consider how your actions will affect the people around you. 
• Feel motivated by human connection, cooperation and compassion.

So, how does this play into politics, and what influences your voting decisions? While Thinking types tend to find a logical solution, you’re looking at issues affecting people’s needs, emotions and overall connectedness to a collective group. 

How the Feeling Trait Influences your Voting Intentions 

For individuals with a Feeling preference, your voting decisions are more value-driven than fact-driven. Rather than focusing on specific policies, statistics or how much you might save in taxes by voting for a particular candidate, you examine how the issues at hand will affect communities. And, since Feelers tend to express sympathy and empathy for everyone, especially people who are less fortunate than themselves, they’re more drawn to political candidates who promote values like social justice, equality and compassion. 

If a political candidate seems to promote the individual over the collective group, a Feeler is less likely to feel comfortable placing trust in their leadership. Feelers are also turned off by candidates who are more confrontational while looking with respect toward candidates who express empathy-based goals. 

On the other hand, if a candidate brings up the betterment of society, Feelers will feel more aligned with their intentions.

How Does This Differ From Right-leaning Personality Types?

If Feeling types are more likely to lean left, are Thinking types more likely to lean right? 

Interestingly, it turns out that Judging is more indicative of right-leaning political views. Truity’s analysis revealed that Judging types frequently identify as Republican.

Judgers prefer clear regulations, structure and organization. They tend not to be as flexible in their outlook on society’s structure and may wish to preserve the institutions they are familiar with. There were also certain questions in our survey that predicted a Judger’s likelihood of leaning Republican — if a respondent said they had a “self-disciplined attitude (rather than impulsivity)” and felt the need to “meet expectations and fulfill responsibilities” they likely leaned right.

And while 51% of strong Democrats were Extraverts, this trait was higher in strong Republicans, coming in at over 60%.

How to Talk to People with Opposing Political Intentions

For left-leaning Feeling types, engaging in political conversations with those who hold different views — especially from opposing personality types or political parties — can be daunting. Since you tend to prioritize harmony, avoid conflict and desire mutual empathy and respect, you might feel overwhelmed by political discussions that drill heavily into the details of policy, or opinions that seem to prioritize a particular group of people above the whole. 

Luckily, you can navigate conversations with people who have opposing personalities (and political views) by using a few strategies that foster understanding and mutual respect.

Remember, it’s just their personality

First, it’s helpful to remember that some personality types, such as Thinker-Judgers, may approach conversations from a more logical, fact-driven perspective. They are not trying to create conflict, it is just the way they think. You are focused on empathy and compassion, while they’re promoting “just the facts” through projected outcomes (like economic ones) or specific data. 

If you find yourself in a political conversation that’s starting to feel like an uncomfortable debate, your first instinct might be to become defensive or shut down. Instead, try to recognize differences of opinion and validate the other person’s viewpoint (without agreeing). Since you’re a natural empathizer, you may discover it’s easy to understand that others see the same issue through a different lens. 

Lead with empathy

You’re already great at expressing empathy, so try to meet this person where they’re at by saying something like, “I see this issue really matters to you, and I’d like to understand your perspective better.” Remember that you can express empathy without feeling the need to agree with the other person’s point of view.

Listen and find common ground 

While your political ideologies might differ, if you practice active listening rather than putting up a wall, you may recognize that both voting perspectives have some commonalities. For example, the person you’re talking to may share some of the same wants as you do — the opportunity to thrive, a mutual desire for feeling safe and even the idea of justice and fairness, for example.

When you approach the conversation by saying something like, “I think we both care deeply about helping people — we just have different ideas about how to get there,” the other person will not feel confronted but seen.

Ask questions

When emotions run high, or viewpoints are far apart, asking questions like “Can you help me understand why you feel that way?” can reduce defensiveness and deepen the conversation between you and the other person. This may help the other person see that you’re genuinely interested in understanding their perspective, which will keep the conversation from going off the rails.

Set your boundaries

Because political conversations can begin to feel confrontational, you’ll want to do your best to avoid feeling drained. If you feel the other person is taking the conversation to a heated place, you might want to step back and look for an opportunity to foster a more respectful conversation. 

One way to do this is to remain calm and set boundaries when you begin to feel uncomfortable. Try saying, “I’d love to continue this conversation, but it’s important to me that we keep it respectful and open-minded.” You can also state that you’re more than open to discussing your differences of opinion but that you prefer the conversation to remain respectful rather than head into hostile territory. The election may be heated, but there’s no reason why the two of you cannot debate while remaining friends.